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| Criterion |  Architecture ATAM (Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method) |  Agile Ideal Days |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Facilitation Dot Estimation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | ATAM helps teams weigh architecture decisions when quality goals compete. The team considers business goals, stakeholder expectations, and technical decisions together. The evaluation shows which risks need further investigation. | When effort needs to be thought of as real working time, it offers a simple common denominator for comparison. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, and Capacity Caveats. | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | When size or effort can only be estimated roughly, Dot Estimation condenses the group's experience into a quick range. It turns individual contributions into a visible selection. The result is captured as an Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, and Discussion Targets. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Low | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | Several meetings plus preparation and analysis; total effort depends on scope | 15-60 min | 1-4 h | 5-20 min |
Participantsdifferent | Evaluation team, architects, and relevant stakeholders | 2-9 | 3-8 | 3-20 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized quality scenarios in a utility tree, Architecture risks with reasoning and assumptions, Sensitivity and trade-off points, Findings report with open investigations | Ideal Day Estimates, Assumption Notes, Capacity Caveats | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Effort Heatmap, Risk Signals, Discussion Targets |
Tagsno overlap | ArchitectureQualityRiskTradeoffsStakeholders | EstimationEffortAgile | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | EstimationEffortRisk |